C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 VILNIUS 000594
SIPDIS
STATE FOR S/SRAP AMBASSADOR RICHARD HOLBROOKE AND PDAS JONES
STATE FOR EUR/NB, EUR/RPM, SCA/A
KABUL FOR AMBASSADOR EIKENBERRY AND FOR AMBASSADOR WAYNE
DEFENSE FOR AMBASSADOR VERSHBOW
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/06/2019
TAGS: AFLHMARRMOPSNATOPRELEAID
SUBJECT: LITHUANIA IN AFGHANISTAN -- ADVANCING MUTUAL GOALS
Classified By: Ambassador Derse for reasons 1.4(b) and (d)
Â¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Following our mid-October visit to
Afghanistan to review Lithuania's ISAF contributions, Foreign
Minister Usackas is seeking to inject much-needed new
organization, energy and financing into Lithuania's efforts
to support development in Ghor Province, where Lithuania
leads a 200 member PRT. Lithuania is under severe economic
pressure, with a likely 15-20 percent decline in GDP and the
2009 defense budget slashed by 19 percent compared to the
previous year. Nevertheless, senior GOL officials underscore
that Afghanistan is and will remain their top security
priority, despite financial constraints; MOD is now planning,
for example, to offer police and garrison Operational Mentor
and Liaison Teams (OMLTs). MFA's new effort to exert stronger
leadership on development, as well, will make the GOL a more
effective partner. Based on my visit to Ghor with the FonMin,
I believe the GOL is making an extraordinary effort under
severe financial constraints to support an important mission
in Afghanistan. Lithuania is grateful for U.S. support
provided to date. I would like to ask colleagues in
Washington and Kabul to consider the suggestions below to
further assist this small but committed ally as it
intensifies its development effort in Afghanistan. Such
cooperation will pay dividends not only in Ghor, but more
broadly, as a concrete illustration of the value we attach to
Lithuania's continued commitment and to our partnership in
ISAF. END SUMMARY
Â¶2. (C) Shortly after presenting my credentials to President
Grybauskaite on October 14, I traveled to Afghanistan with
FonMin Usackas and a GOL-hosted delegation including senior
MFA and defense officials, parliamentarians (including the
leader of the opposition), Lithuanian journalists and the
Greek Ambassador to Lithuania. Greece is a potential new
donor for development projects in Ghor Province. The visit
was Usackas' first to Afghanistan. Widely publicized in
Lithuania, it was clearly intended to build public and
political support for Lithuania's Afghan mission at a time of
severe economic crisis here, and specifically to inject new
momentum into the GOL's development efforts in Ghor, for
which MFA is responsible. During an intense three days, the
delegation saluted the Lithuanian Special Forces (SOF)
serving in Regional Command South, consulted in Kabul with
GIRoA officials, representatives of potential donor countries
and UNAMA's Kai Eide on development projects and visited
Chaghcharan, the capital of Ghor, where the PRT is located.
Â¶3. (C) Based on conversations in Vilnius since the visit, the
trip impressed on Usackas the need for greater coordination
and follow up by MFA with respect to the development aspects
of the PRT's mission. The Defense Minister and head of the
Special Operations Forces commented separately to me that one
of the most valuable outcomes of the trip was Usackas'
realization that the mission in Afghanistan "is not just
military." Usackas himself recently confided that he now
understands that MFA needs a single point of contact,
responsible for all aspects of MFA's lead on development,
from conception through implementation of projects, to carry
out its responsibilities effectively. He plans to appoint a
senior MFA official, Chief Counselor Valdemaras Sarapinas, as
the lead on Afghanistan. Usackas is also intensifying
efforts to reach out to new donors for financial support,
securing a Kazakh pledge to support education, likely Greek
and Japanese contributions to the provincial hospital, and an
Afghan contribution for the airport. Vilnius plans a Regional
Command West Conference in Vilnius December 8-9 and a follow
on Donors' Conference in Kabul and Ghor in Spring 2010 (exact
date is TBD).
Â¶4. (C) Ghor is the third poorest province in Afghanistan and
has severe development needs. While in Chaghcharan, I was
struck by the open frustration expressed by local officials
at what they see as the minimal attention Ghor receives from
the international community and the central government --
despite Ghor's relative stability, a population opposed to
the insurgency, and a strong decline in poppy cultivation. As
just one example, between 2002 and 2008 USAID invested $21M
in Ghor, compared to investing $214M in its neighboring
province Herat. While there are undoubtedly reasons for the
disparity, local officials in Ghor, nonetheless, are openly
envious of funding provided to Herat; some ask whether they
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have to "start blowing things up" to attract similar
international attention.
Â¶5. (C) Lithuania's intention to do more on development,
therefore, is necessary and laudable. The fact remains,
however, that as the smallest NATO member to be leading a
PRT, and a country very hard hit by the economic crisis,
Lithuania lacks deep civilian development/donor expertise and
has relatively little development funding available. With
the projected decline in Lithuania's GDP by 15-20 percent
this year, the development budget, never large, has shrunk to
USD 1.2M.
Â¶6. (C) At the same time, the GOL is making extraordinary
sacrifices to maintain its PRT and SOF in Afghanistan. In
2009 Lithuania's defense budget decreased by 19% compared to
the previous year due to the economic crisis. The Lithuanian
military transitioned to a fully professional force as of
July 2009, however the budget is so bleak that it has been
forced to temporarily cut the salaries of new privates and
sailors to below the poverty level, with new privates
receiving only 800 litas (USD 345) per month, 75% below the
planned salary of 3400 litas (USD 1465) per month. It is not
an exaggeration to say that the GOL is stretching its budget
to the limit to fulfill its commitment to help stabilize and
develop Ghor. Moreover, despite these pressures, the MOD is
seriously looking for ways it can do more for example, by
offering a P-OMLT (Police Operational Mentor and Liaison
Teams) in 2010 and possibly a garrison OMLT in Afghanistan
later.
Â¶7. (U) In the view of USG colleagues working most closely
with Lithuanian colleagues on the ground in Ghor, the GOL is
doing an excellent job with severely limited resources and
experience, is coordinating with other partners increasingly
well, and "we should support them 110 percent." I share
their view, after visiting the PRT myself. The GOL, for its
part, welcomes USG advice and support.
Â¶8. (C) Lithuania's success, of course, is also our success
and Afghanistan's success. The Embassy team and I plan to
make it a priority to take advantage of Usackas' new
activism, intensifying our engagement with the GOL in Vilnius
in close coordination with you and other USG colleagues, to
support and strengthen the GOL's effort. In addition, we will
work closely with the new Dutch Ambassador to Lithuania, who
formerly headed the Dutch PRT in Regional Command South and
recently offered to share his expertise and cooperate closely
with the USG and GOL to support Lithuania's efforts in Ghor.
Usackas has welcomed such collaboration.
Â¶9. (C) Given the GOL's new focus on development, I would ask
that the USG consider the following possible steps to further
assist as GOL representatives work with international
colleagues and local officials in Ghor to develop a
reconstruction plan for the province, and as MFA and MOD
search for sponsors to supplement their limited development
budget. For example:
-- On December 8-9, 2009, the GOL will host an RC-West
Conference in Vilnius and will discuss development needs in
Ghor. We will work with the GOL, with the advice of our USG
colleagues in Kabul and Ghor, to help focus the conference on
the crucial issues and concrete steps to produce results. The
GOL seeks a high-level USG representative from Washington.
MFA is expecting that NATO will send a representative at the
Deputy Assistant Secretary General level. We understand that
Washington is now considering a strong USG delegation,
possibly led by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (S/SRAP)
Paul Jones. We greatly appreciate this support and hope this
plan will be finalized soon; strong USG representation will
spur the engagement of others.
-- In Spring 2010 the GOL will hold a Ghor Donors' Conference
in Kabul and in Ghor. We would like to offer strong USG
support to help plan and coordinate the event, and ask that
Embassy Kabul appoint a POC with whom we can work on this,
and on engagement with the GOL on development in Ghor more
broadly.
-- The Government of Croatia recently communicated its
intention to withdraw its 35 troops from the Ghor PRT in May
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2010 in order to consolidate Croatian forces elsewhere in
Afghanistan. The GOL is asking for our engagement to either
convince the Croatians not to go (they have offered the
Croatians a co-lead in the PRT) or to help to identify
another partner. We would appreciate Washington's/Embassy
Zagreb's support in approaching the Croatians to find a
positive way forward, or in identifying and soliciting new
partners to fill the gap if the Croatians leave.
-- The GOL is looking for civilian experts to assist with
capacity building in Ghor province including prosecutors,
doctors, engineers and other subject matter experts. Can we
consider providing such experts as specific needs are
defined?
-- The GOL is promoting three priority infrastructure
projects for Ghor: renovation of the Chaghcharan airfield,
construction of the road between Herat and Kabul and building
an orphanage/education center in Ghor. Embassy Vilnius will
continue to work with the GOL to identify and approach
potential donors. USAID recently announced a welcome $6M
challenge grant to fund three airport renovations (including
Chaghcharan) and we understand that the GIRoA will provide
the matching funds to launch the project. Can we work with a
designated POC at Embassy Kabul to find a way to liaise more
regularly with the GOL and GIRoA to ensure sound design and
early funding for these key projects?
-- The GOL is promoting several humanitarian projects in
Ghor, including construction of a new hospital, a top
priority for the local administration and population. Can we
explore ways we can support this effort?
-- Agriculture development assistance is urgently needed.
Local farmers have moved away from poppy production and it is
critical to provide support for licit agricultural production
as a disincentive to return to poppy production. We
understand a USDA expert will soon join the Ghor PRT. Can
the USG also provide technical support for livestock
management, including an inoculation program, and to
establish a veterinary clinic and capacity for mobile clinics
to service the district?
-- Local officials need assistance to develop a market plan
for local products and resources such as mineral deposits,
hand-woven carpets, wood carvings and metal works. Local
entrepreneurs need access to micro-loans to develop business
opportunities. Can we propose a plan to work with the GOL to
support such strategic planning for the economy?
-- The Deputy Governor of Ghor underscored the critical need
for energy infrastructure, which would have a significant
payoff for standards of hygiene and living as well as
economic activity. Chaghcharan has only four hours of
electricity per day. With three rivers in the province,
inexpensive micro dams could expand Ghor's very limited
energy infrastructure to provide electricity to schools,
homes and shops.
-- Young people in Ghor have limited prospects for the
future. 65% of Ghor residents are unemployed and 78% are
illiterate. Many young people travel to bordering provinces
to look for work and are vulnerable to recruitment by the
insurgency. Can we offer new support for programs to engage
local youth and offer opportunities for education and
employment?
COMMENT:
Â¶10. (C) I know that efforts have been made in the past to
help the Lithuanians succeed on development in Ghor, and that
there have been frustrations with GOL follow up. I want to
offer my assistance and that of my team to do everything
possible to guide and troubleshoot with the GOL in Vilnius to
produce results. We are optimistic that with the GOL's new
focus on development, we can make progress. We look forward
to working with an appropriate POC at Embassy Kabul and in
Washington soon to focus on closer coordination with the GOL.
Such cooperation will pay dividends not only for our mission
in Afghanistan, but also in terms of providing concrete
reassurance that we value Lithuania's partnership and
continued commitment and contribution in Afghanistan under
very tough domestic circumstances.
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DERSE